Water protective device for automobile motors



Au 16, 1938. w, SCHENK 2,127,271

WATER PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILE MOTORS Filed Nov. 17, 1936 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 16, 1938 UNITED STATES -ATENT OF WATER PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR AUTO- MOBILE MOTORS 3 Claims.

One object of this invention is the provision of a device adapted to be connected with the water cooling system of an automobile motor, whose purpose is to prevent the loss of water in the cooling system as a result of over heating of the motor and consequent boiling up of the water.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such a device whereby the overheated Water, which would ordinarily overflow and be lost down the overflow pipe of the radiator, will instead, be returned to the water system. The device also embodies a storage tank in which the water, which would normally be lost through overflow, is retained so that upon subsequent cooling 5 of the motor, this stored water will re-enter the water jacket.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a screen or filter as a part of the above device, so that the water which boils up out of the water jacket and which normally carries with it rust and accumulated sediment, is passed through a screen prior to its return to the water jacket.

Over heating of a motor is frequently the result of excess accumulation of rust and sediment in the water system, whence, this cleaning of the overflow water and returning of the cleaned water to the system will frequently result in a cooling of the water to a point within its normal limits.

The above and other objects will become apparent in the description below, in which characters of reference refer to like-named parts in the accompanying drawing.

Referring briefly to the drawing, Figure 1 is a View, partly schematic, illustrating the manner 5 of installing the device on an automobile.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional elevational view of the device.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional View taken on the line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view through the check valve of the installation.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral l indicates the device as a unit. The device comprises an upright wall I I enclosing a tank [2. A cap it surmounts the wall II and is provided with a neck M enclosing a passage I5. An outlet nipple I6 is provided at one end of the neck #4. A safety exhaust valve H is provided at the base of the neck l4 and communicates between the tank l2 and the passage H3. The other end of the passage i communicates through holes l8 a spider or the like IS, with a compartment enclosed by a cap 2|. The latter is threadably secured on a downward extension 22 of the neck $4, and is provided with a plurality of openings 23 through which passage is provided from the tank 12 into the compartment 20. A valve 24, rigid on its stem 25 which is slidably mounted in the spider l9, serves to open or close the lower end of the extension 22 and thus, obviously, to open or close the through communication between the tank l2 and the passage I5. The valve stem 25 is extended downward through an opening in the cap 2i, and its lower extremity is pro- ,vided with a hook 26. A hollow float 27, whose walls are vertically corrugated, is mounted in the tank l2. A hook 28 extends on its upper surface, and the float 21 is normally suspended by means of the hook 28 supporting the hook 28, in the position shown. The base of, the member 29 of which the hook 28 forms a part, is indicated at 30 and is fixed to the upper surface of the float 21. It is to be noted that the distance between the base 31! and hook 26 is slightly less than the distance 'between'the hook 28 and the lower surface of the cap 2 l. The bottom of the wall I l is closed by a union 3| which is provided with a pair of oppositely disposed radial passages 32 and 33. The former is provided with a nipple 34, and the latter with a nipple 35. The passage 32 communicates with the tank l2 through an opening 36. The passage 33 communicates with the underside of the union 3! through an opening 31. The union 31 is provided with a depending flange 38. Within the flange 38, a substantially hemispherical glass bowl 39 is mounted. This bowl is held in place by means of the screw 43 supported at the juncture of the two spring fingers 4| which are suspended from openings in the flange 38. The bottom of the bowl 39 is provided with a boss 42 having an opening in which the screw 40 registers.

A central vertical passage 43 having an extending neck on each end, is provided in the union 3!. On the lower neck 44 of this passage, a screen filter 65 is mounted frictionally, or in any other desirable manner. The bowl 39 encloses a compartment 46. The upper neck 41 of the passage 43 has mounted thereon a pressure valve comprising a cylinder 48 havingopenings 49 in its side walls and a vent 56 in its top. A hollow piston 5| is slidably mounted in the cylinder 48 and is normally urged downward by a spring 52. In its lowermost and normal position, the piston 51 closes the top of the passagei43.

The device is installed by connecting the nipple through a tube 58 and a hose 51 with the bottom of the standard overflow pipe 56. The nipple 34 is connected by a tube 54 to a point near the lowest extremity of the water jacket, such as the pipe 59. A one way or check valve 53 may be installed near the lower end of the tube 54 to prevent upward flow of water in the tube 54, as shown. The nipple I is connected to an auxiliary overflow pipe 55. It is apparent that the pipes 56, 58, and 54, and the tank l0, form a bypass between the topmost and bottommost points of the water system.

The operation of the device is as followsi As suming that the water in the cooling system becomes overheated to a point that it boils up slightly, it will rise and pass through the overflow pipe 56, then through tube 58 and nipple 35 into the bowl compartment 46 through the passage 333'!. It thence will rise through the filter 45 into the'passage 43. Continued flow of this water will force the piston 5i upward against its spring 52'until the piston clears the openings 49, in which case the water will flow out through the openings 49 into the tank I2. If this flow of water is not excessive, it will pass directly rom the tank I2 through the passage 323i3, nipple '34, tube 54, and back into thewater jacket. Should the rate of overflow of the water into the overflow pipe 56 be excessive, however, so that its level will continue to rise in the tank i2, then it will ultimately raise the float 2? to its maximum elevated position. Just before it reaches the latter position, however, the base 3|] on top of the float 27 will strike the hook 26 and raise the valve 24, thus closing the exhaust passage through the passage it against escape of the water therethrough. Until the latter takes place, the'passage !5 serves as a steam or air outlet from the tank !2. 1 Thus, the Water trapped in the tank l2 is prevented from passing on into the overflow pipe 55, and if the temperature of the water in the motor jacket ceases to rise as a result of the cleaning of the water by the-filter 45 prior to its return to the water system, then no water will have been lost from the water jacket; If, however, the' temperature increase continues to a point at which the pressure of the water in the tank l2 requires an escape, then the safety exhaust valve H will be forced open to permit passage of the Water therethrough, and out of the nipple l6 down the auxiliary overflow pipe 55. As most cases of overheating are at first slight in degree and are caused by clogging of the water system by accumulated sediment, the temperature of the water will, in a great majority of cases, have been reduced to a normal range by cleaning of the return water by the filter'45, prior to occurrence of the extreme condition just men- .tioned, so that in the great majority of such cases no water will have been lost. Without the provision of this device, there is no possibility of the overheating to cease once the water hasbegun to overflow down the overflow pipe, as the reduction in the quantity of water in the system resulting from this loss causes accelerated overheating of the insuflicient amount retained, and the overheating is not checked before water has been added to take the place of that lost down the overflow pipe. In normal running of the motor Without overheating, the water does not circulate through the device l9, as is obvious.

Obviously, modifications in form and structure may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A device of the class described comprising a housing enclosing an upper compartment having an opening near the top thereof and a lower compartment, a union dividing said compartments, a pair of passages in said union each having an opening at one end on the outside of said union, one of said passages communicating with said upper compartment and the other with said lower compartment, a tube connecting the outside opening of one of said passages with the water system of a motor at a point near the top of the sys-' tem, a tube connecting the outside opening of the other of said passages with said water system at a point near the bottom of the system, said union having an opening communicating between both of said compartments, a filter surrounding said iast-named opening, a normally open valve in said first-named opening, said valve having a rigid member extending downward therefrom and lying above said float in the path of said float, said fioat on rising to the top of said tank striking and lifting said rigid member and lifting said valve, thereby closing said valve.

2. A device of the class described comprising a housing enclosing an upper compartment having an opening near the top thereof and a lower compartment, a union dividing said compartments, a pair of passages in said union each havingan opening at one end on the outside of said union, one of said passages communicating with said upper compartment and the other with said lower compartment, a tube connecting the outside opening or oneof said passages with the Water system of a motor at a point near the top of the system, a tube connecting the outside opening of the other of said passages with said water system at a point near the bottom of the system,

' said union having an opening communicating between both of said compartments, a filter surrounding said last-named opening, a float mount-- ed in said upper compartment, a normally open valve in said first-named opening, and means partly on said last-named valve and partly on said float for closing said last-named valve upon rising of said float to the top of said upper compartment.

3. In the'circulating water system of a combustion engine, a by-pass connected to said system between a point near the top ofthe system and a point near the bottom thereof, the overflow water from said system caused by overheating of the engine entering said by-pass through said bottom point, a tank having an inlet in its top and an outlet in its bottom at a spaced-apart distance from said inlet, said tank being mounted in series in said by-pass and serving as a condenser to cool said overflow water, a filter in said tank, said overflow water after leaving said tank passing by gravity back into said system at said bottom point of the system, an escape passage into the atmosphere in the top of said tank and a valve in said passage, the water level in said tank rising when the rate of said overflow resulting from continued overheating of the engine exceeds the rate of said outflow from said tank by gravity, means in said tank adapted to be automatically operated upon rising of said water level to a point near the top of said tank to close said escape valve to prevent loss of said overflow water from said tank.

WILLIAM SCHENK. 

